“You presume to know what I care about?”
“I thought I did, through Your word.”
“Were you present when I created the world you were born on? Its plants and animals? Or, for that matter, any life in the galaxy? In the billions of galaxies in the universe?” His gaze was piercing, as if with every word he examined and weighed David’s soul.
“No. But I was present when I saw thousands upon thousands of people who call on Your name die at the hands of the League.” David glanced back at Sheila. “When my best friend died. I was there to see otherwise decent people corrupted by this horrific war, and I’ve had a front-row seat to my own soul as it became a dark and deserted wasteland.”
There was an audible gasp from someone in the gallery. The white-robed figure tilted his head ever so slightly. “You blame Me, for this?”
“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear them from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land,” David quoted from the Torah. “We prayed. Over, and over. We worship You constantly and without ceasing. Hundreds of millions of Jews, tens of billions of Christians and Muslims, billions more of other faiths. Our entire society is set up around the acknowledgment and worship of God. It’s enshrined in our constitution and our hearts.”
The white-robed man on the judge’s bench sat impassively, with no change in expression, nor did He speak.
“From where I sit, we’ve collectively done as much as we can to worship HaShem. Are we perfect? No. But what do we have to show for it? A communist empire that assaults us over and over. Tens of millions have died in this war. Now we’re an hour or two from total defeat. You promised us You would defend Your people. Where? When? If You won’t keep Your covenant with us, why should we worship You?” By the end of his monologue, tears streamed down David’s face. The loss of friends, his father, fellow soldiers, and their inability to stop the League weighed heavily.
The defense counsel sprang to his feet and put his hand on David’s shoulder. “I think what my client is trying to say, Your Honor, is that his faith has been sorely tested.”
“And found wanting,” the white-robed judge replied. “Tell me, David Cohen, have you relied on me? Or have you relied on yourself? I already know the answer—yourself. You won’t even pray to Me and ask for victory over what you describe as an evil, mortal enemy. Instead of having even the smallest amount of faith, you put your faith in technology and the Terran Coalition’s strength.”
David opened his mouth to object—and shut it when he realized he couldn’t. The realization that God was speaking to him and had destroyed his argument in a couple of sentences was jarring. “I…” His voice trailed off before he found it again. “I didn’t think it was right to ask You to help me kill others. No matter how bad they are.”
“It’s not about asking for help to kill. The point is to put your trust in God.” The tone of the white-robed figure was one of patience, akin to a father instructing his son. “Do you have faith? Are you capable of having trust in Me?”
I don’t know. The realization shook David to his core. What exactly do I believe? “I think…” He closed his eyes. “I don’t know.” Vocalizing the realization was even worse. I am an Orthodox Jew. I am supposed to live and breathe belief in HaShem. “I try.”
“Ah. You try.”
“Please, have mercy on him, Your Honor,” the defense counsel said. “He is but a flawed human. They all are.”
The figure sat back in his seat, never breaking eye contact with David. “You have challenged me, David ben-Levi Cohen. As others have in times past. This I will say for you—you are a man after my own heart, not unlike your namesake from long ago. I see into your soul, and I see a decent man, who tried in his own flawed, fallible way, to do right. At the same time, Admiral Seville loudly proclaims there is no God. He mocks My name, and that of My people. For these reasons, if, and only if, you show faith, I will answer your prayer. When you return to your reality, strike at the evildoers with all your ability. I will bless you and sow confusion in their ranks. All will know that the Lord their God has saved them this day. For the rest… in due time, I will judge you when you pass beyond.” He stood and walked out of the room through a door just beyond the judge’s bench.
His mind swimming, trying to make sense of what was going on around him, David turned to the man acting as his counsel. “I think I’ve gone insane.”
“No.” The man’s face broke into a warm smile. “Not at all. I’m afraid your time here is over. Please, say goodbye to those who came to be with you.”
David turned around, expecting to see Sheila and his father in the gallery of the courtroom. Instead, it was packed. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of people, some of whom he couldn’t make out, while others, such as Doris Hunter, were fresh in his mind. It took him a moment to realize all of them had served with him—some under his command, some not. All had died in the line of duty. Every last one wore a smile, and somehow, David found himself taking strength from the display. He tried to think of something to say, and failing to do so, brought his hand up in salute.
They in return, saluted him as one.
After David brought his arm down, he stared at Sheila and his father Levi, who stood next to one another. “What now?”
“Do what you do best, son. Fight the good fight.”
“Yes, sir,” David replied, forcing confidence into his voice.
“David, I want you to know,” Levi began, even as the room and those in it started to fade. “I am so proud of you. I’ll be here. We all will, when you arrive.”
“I love you, Dad,” David got out as everything faded to black. He felt as if he was falling down a crack in reality.
* * *
“Your orders, sir?” Ruth asked.
Her voice cut into David’s mind as he realized he was back on the bridge. Back, or did I ever leave? He was still in the CO’s chair, staring at the tactical plot that hadn’t changed. Seville’s mousetrap movement was still in progress, and David had to decide what to do. Strike at the evildoers… and I will bless you and sow confusion in their ranks. What does it mean?
“Sir?” Ruth’s voice was now insistent.
The only way to sow confusion is to attack the flagship. We’ve done that before, successfully. Trying to parse out what his next action should take with only seconds to make a decision taxed every mental faculty David had. Have faith. I should pray, as I was instructed. A moment later, he shook his head. Not enough time. I’ll do it after the battle. He set his jaw and went all in. “TAO, clear all firing solutions. Firing point procedures, Master One. Magnetic cannons, neutron beams, and VRLS tubes one through two hundred forty.”
Ruth jerked around in her seat, twisting the combat harness as she did. “Say again, sir?”
“You heard me, Captain.”
“With respect, sir, Master One is protected by dozens of escorts. We don’t have a clear line of fire. We’d waste our shots!”
She’s right. David closed his eyes. I must have faith. He felt the eyes of everyone on the bridge staring at him. “Trust me, Ruth.” He hoped using her first name would break through to her.
“Sir—”
“Have I ever steered us wrong?”
“No, sir.”
“Then execute my orders.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” Ruth replied as she turned to face her console. A few moments later, she announced, “Firing solutions set, sir.”
David pressed himself back in the CO’s chair. “Match bearings, shoot, all weapons.”
The Lion of Judah flung helicar-sized projectiles out of its forward mag-cannons, while at the same time, its neutron beam emitters roared away in the darkness of space. A stream of missiles erupted out of their launch tubes for thirty seconds, constituting a full volley of advanced Hunter warheads. Ruth’s protest had merit; none of the directed energy weapons or the shell projectiles connected with Seville�
��s flagship, the Annihilator.
With a couple of clicks, David zoomed the tactical plot in on the viewer above his head, focusing on the area directly adjacent to the Annihilator. Blue icons representing the Hunters moved across the plot. They disappeared left and right without impacting a hostile contact, the victims of the League fleet’s point defense fire. A single, solitary missile evaded everything the Leaguers threw at it. Hope grew in David’s heart as it bobbed and weaved. Come on, come on! He willed it to hit with everything in his mind, even as another part of him questioned how a single warhead could cause any damage to the massive enemy behemoth. At the last second, it slammed into one of the escorting destroyers.
“Conn, TAO,” Ruth’s tone was one of shock. “Negative impact, sir. No hits on Master One. Three frigates destroyed, one destroyer damaged.”
The waste of an entire alpha strike loomed large in David’s mind momentarily. Then it hit him. I’ve gone insane. I think I talked to God, so I wasted an opportunity to at least cause some damage to the enemy. His hands shook, and his breath became ragged.
Tinetariro leaned in from her perch on the XO’s chair. “Sir, are you okay?”
David’s face went white as a ghost. He turned to her. “No, Master Chief.”
“You have to focus, sir.”
The bridge started spinning as David tried to figure out what to do next. God, please. I don’t know what to do. Are you even there? Have I completely lost it? Please, if you’re out there, help me. Help us. He caught his breath and stared for a few seconds at the tactical plot, trying to formulate a way to blunt the enemy onslaught.
“Conn, TAO… orders, sir?”
The seconds continued to tick by. One red icon caught David’s eye—it was out of formation, ever so slightly. He zoomed the plot in and realized it was an auxiliary support vessel. Probably carrying spare parts and munitions.
* * *
“Captain, I can’t compensate for our ventral thrusters. They’re firing on their own and pushing us off course,” the navigator on the LSS Zhukov announced.
Guiying Kwan, the commander of the ship, frowned. The supply vessel was over fifty years old. Not fit to be sent on a mission across the galactic arm. That, of course, didn’t matter to the League. If the orders were to go, they went, regardless of how ill-advised. “Fire the dorsal thrusters and rotate us away from the flagship.”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
“No effect, sir. The maneuvering system isn’t answering commands.”
On the antiquated tactical display Kwan had at his disposal, it became apparent they were on a collision course—with the fleet’s flagship. Fear built up within. The political commissars will kill my family as traitors to the League if we don’t regain control. “Maximum on the engines. Plot a course away from the rest of the fleet. We’ll make repairs and rejoin the formation.”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
The navigator tapped away at his controls as Kwan looked on. It didn’t take long for him to determine something was wrong. Judging from the tactical plot, they’d picked up speed, and were still accelerating. “Lieutenant, I ordered you to maneuver away from the flagship.”
“Sir, I activated the engines, but they’ve locked into place. I can’t change our course.” The navigator turned around in his chair, his face ashen and tone panicked. “I can’t stop it, sir!”
Kwan went through the processes and procedures in his mind. “Order engineering to SCRAM our reactor. All hands abandon ship! I say again, all hands abandon ship!”
* * *
“Conn, TAO, aspect change, Master Twenty-seven! It’s on a direct collision course with Master One!” Ruth’s voice rose both in octave and pitch.
Hope sprang up from deep inside David’s soul. A quick mental calculation confirmed her report, and he stared at the plot, praying. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God, my strength in whom I will trust. He superimposed a line showing the support ship’s course and its intersection point with Seville’s flagship—Master One. He gripped the hand rests of the CO’s chair so hard, his knuckles turned white. I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised. So shall I be saved from my enemies. Each tick of the second clock seemed as if it were an eternity. With every passing moment, the two ships came closer to one another. At the last second, the Annihilator attempted to maneuver away. But it was too late. The two icons merged, and a bright orange and red explosion showed through the transparent alloy windows. It is God who avenges us and subdues the enemy under me. There was no glee, no joy, no thoughts of personal victory in David’s mind—only stunned amazement.
“Conn, TAO. Master Twenty-seven destroyed… Master One disabled, sir!” Ruth interjected.
Wild cheering broke out among those on the bridge, officer and enlisted alike. Tinetariro let it go for fifteen seconds before she bellowed, “As you were! Maintain proper bridge protocol!” She turned to David. “God fights for us, sir. That’s the only explanation.” Her voice was a whisper.
“I know,” David whispered back. He set his jaw and glanced back at the tactical plot. The red dots stopped moving forward. The entire League fleet was paralyzed. “TAO, confirm enemy has ceased maneuvering.” Thank you, Adonai.
“Confirmed, sir,” Ruth said. “They’ve ceased thrust and are holding position.”
“Status of magnetic cannon reloads, and the energy weapons capacitor?”
“Reloaded and one hundred percent charge respectively, sir.”
David grinned wolfishly. “I think it’s time we got to work. TAO, firing point procedures.”
* * *
Seville stared in rage at the scene around him. The bridge of his flagship—the LSS Annihilator—was effectively destroyed. Smoke curled up from several small electrical fires as blue arcs of energy shot out from the most damaged consoles. Pieces of the overhead had collapsed along the back wall, trapping many enlisted technicians. He stood from his chair and surveyed the damage. Damn the Terrans. His first thought was the Lion of Judah’s desperation volley had somehow impacted the Annihilator. But that was demonstrably not the case. No, this was a simple thruster failure by the looks of it. He cursed his bad luck.
“Admiral.” The weak rasp of Strappi was barely audible over the tumult.
Seville turned to see his political officer pinned beneath a pipe from the overhead that had fallen. On closer examination, the tube had pierced the unlucky man’s chest. “Medical personnel to the bridge!”
Strappi shivered. “I’m cold, Admiral. So very cold.”
“Stay calm, Colonel. Help is on the way. You will recover even from this wound.” Seville knelt at Strappi’s side and held his hand.
“I feel death coming. My vision grows dark.”
“No. Stay with me. Focus on breathing. In and out.”
An explosion erupted from the background as flames shot out ten feet across the bridge, followed by curses and screams from the damage control team. An enlisted rating appeared at Seville’s side. “Admiral, we’ve got to get you off the bridge. The ship’s reactor is critical and overloading. The Annihilator is lost.”
Flashbacks of the first and second battles of Canaan flooded Seville’s mind. Bitter defeats at the hands of the Terran Coalition. Not today. My fleet is still quite intact. We’ll overcome this and destroy the precious CDF. “I’m not leaving without my political commissar. Where are the medical teams?”
“There’s not enough time, sir!” the rating shrieked. “Micro-fractures have opened all along the deck joints for deck one. We’ve got to go, now!”
Something Seville wasn’t used to now confronted him: indecision. Torn between wanting to save Strappi’s life and his own, he stood unmoving. “It is your social duty to obey my orders, technician. And I order you to cut this man free and save his life.” His voice took on a menacing tone.
“Save yourself, Admiral,” Strappi rasped. “While I thank you for your concern,” his voice trailed off for a moment, “to endanger others to save me would be
individualistic. You must continue the fight and defeat the Terrans. They cannot be allowed to thwart our fleet.”
Seville knew he was right. But still, something inside didn’t want to let go of the man. Was it just posturing, wishing to save a political officer who’d become his puppet? Or something more. Did he care about Strappi? Seville bit his lip. “The commissar is right. We must continue the fight. Evacuate the bridge. Do we have communications up yet?”
“No, Admiral. The entire system was destroyed.”
He gripped Strappi’s hand. “I’ll send help back for you.” Even as Seville spoke, he knew it was a bald-faced lie.
“Goodbye, old friend.” There was no fuss, no crying, or flailing. One minute, Strappi was alive; the next, he wasn’t. His eyes stared upward, unseeing as his chest ceased to move.
Seville turned toward the damage control teams still working furiously. “Evacuate the bridge! All hands abandon ship! To the nearest escape pods!” I must trust Hartford to carry the battle forward.
18
On the bridge of the LSS Ho Chi Min, a different type of chaos ensued. The sight of an aging support vessel plowing into the Annihilator had nearly caused a panic. Admiral Alec Hartford, who doubled as the ship’s commanding officer and the CO for Space Action Group Thirty-six, frowned. He spoke with a deep English accent. “Status of Annihilator communication link, Lieutenant?”
“Still no answer, sir,” a young woman with decidedly Russian features answered. Her S’s sounded like V’s. “We’re starting to get inquiries from the fleet, asking who is now in charge, Admiral.”
The fact that it was even an issue bothered Hartford. Seville had made clear in his pre-battle orders that in the event of him being out of contact or killed in action, command of the fleet would devolve to Hartford, and from there down to less senior commanders of other Space Action Groups. “Send a message to the fleet, reminding them of Admiral Seville’s orders. Then alert SAG Forty-three to resume its advance. The Lion of Judah and her escorts are out of position. We must exploit this advantage immediately!”
Finish the Fight: Echoes of War Book Seven Page 20
